A certain penchant for tilting.
By Jean-Jacques Ader
Thanks to the discovery of forgotten family archives, photographer Anne-Lou Buzot reveals a singular theory to say the least, one that questions the inclination of the horizon in numerous photographs.
During the renovation of its building , the Galerie Le Château d’eau remains active within the premises of the former poster museum in Toulouse. As proof, this completely original exhibition. One day in 2019, a box of archive was found in the family home by Anne-Lou Buzot, photographer, editor and teacher. Inside were documents, texts and images, relating to a mysterious Société de l’Horizon Incliné (Society of the Inclined Horizon). Created in 1881 by a few Parisian scholars; following in the steps of the Tilted Horizon Society of Great Britain, across the Channel.
Photography being considered in this second part of the 19th century as the most faithful means of visual reproduction, some wonder why so many photographic representations of landscapes have their horizon line tilted? Or better, doesn’t photography show us that the horizon is tilting? Doubt was allowed…
Should we review our point of view, our knowledge, and trust technology? Active for around ten years, the learned society of the four founders had up to thirty members, including Gustave Le Gray. They will meet regularly, going on excursions to the seaside, to methodically study the parallelism of the panorama, and thus satisfy their penchant for leaning.
The tilted horizon resurfaced, so to speak, at the beginning of the 1900s, under the leadership of the aptly named Constantin Beloeil, a dissident from the original scholarly society, at the head of the Disciples de l’Horizon Incliné (Disciples of the Inclined Horizon). This one takes the degree of slope of the landscape a little too dramatically to heart, to the point of predicting its total disappearance. Accompanied by a few faithful, he ended his life, both panicked and indignant at the contempt of his colleagues for his fatal hypothesis. The 50s and 60s, however, corresponded to the golden age of the steep landscape; the association had 150 members, developing a more friendly and playful spirit than their predecessors.
Anne-Lou Buzot, recognizing her inclination towards the tilted, decided to found The Tilted Horizon Society, in reference to the first British society, with the aim of disseminating its numerous archives and enriching its funds.
The expression scan the horizon could not have better meaning. These images of distorted perspectives transport us into the space of the visible and the invisible, and tell us about a world that is going awry. Above all, they question and put into perspective the qualities of representation of reality through photography, while revealing its evocative power and the expectations that we all project into it.
So project yourself into this delightful summer offering, and above all, go through all the rooms until the last one, which will undoubtedly make you reconsider… your point of view.
Jean-Jacques Ader
« La théorie de l’horizon incliné » by Anne-Lou Buzot,
exhibition at the Galerie Le Château d’Eau, in Toulouse – temporary address: 58 allées Charles de Fitte 31300
from July 11 to September 1st. Information: https://chateaudeau.toulouse.fr/
